How charities should ask for pro bono support
Last year, an estimated £15.4 billion was donated to charities, with a significant portion coming from corporate donations.
As well as raising money to directly support these charities, companies will often offer free, or “pro bono” work.
Deloitte, for example, provides pro bono consulting services to charities through its Deloitte Impact Day. They’ve worked with charities like United Way and City Year to improve operations and strategy.
Google offers charities pro bono access to Google employees like engineers and designers through their Fellows Program. They’ve worked with the American Civil Liberties Union and the Malala Fund on data and product strategy.
My own company makes websites, so there’s a clear way that companies like us can support charities. This year, we’re working with Pink Sisters and Misters, a small UK cancer charity, providing a new website and digital support so they can keep doing what they do best: supporting people with cancer.
These partnerships can be hugely beneficial for charities in ways that direct cash injections might not, and charity bosses should recognise the value in such partnerships.
So how can charities maximise their chances of securing pro bono work? In this article we suggest ways in which charities should approach companies, which companies to approach, and how to make the most of a pro-bono partnership.
Firstly, though, why should charities even contemplate such partnerships?
Benefits of pro bono work
As readers will know, charities do not function on money alone. Like any other organisation, they need marketing, legal, IT and design work to run smoothly and successfully. Those are skills that are often lacking in-house, especially for smaller charities like Pink Sisters and Misters which runs off volunteers alone.
According to recent statistics, volunteers represent over half of the charity workforce in the UK, meaning over 3 million people are giving their time freely to charities, with more than half (53%) of voluntary sector employees working for small charities (1-49 employees). Of those, a quarter (25%) worked for micro charities (1-10 employees).
The cost of these services through traditional means can be astronomical. The support we are providing Pink Sisters and Misters would normally cost around £7,000. Staff members would have to run a lot of miles or bake a lot of cakes to raise this kind of money.
If the money was donated to Pink Sisters and Misters in cash, it’s unlikely they would justify spending it on a new website. If they did, it could take hours of research and discovery calls to find an agency that suits their needs. If your volunteers don’t have existing knowledge of a professional service like website design, it’s a tall task.
That being said, professional services can be transformational for charities. Accounting and financial management helps them manage donations and adhere to tax requirements. Legal services support negotiations, assist with charity registration and data protection. Marketing and brand awareness clarify messaging and visuals to increase awareness and raise donations. All these things help a charity reach more people, make more money and ultimately achieve their goals as an organisation.
Charities framing requests
The most important thing charity bosses can do when making pro bono requests is to emphasise the charity’s mission, clearly explaining how pro bono work will make a real difference.
Charities should use specific examples or stories to show the tangible impact the contribution will have. Companies don’t want to receive what they might consider to be a “cold call”, just asking for any free services. So be specific and show you’ve considered how a pro bono contribution will truly impact the charity.
Align with the provider’s interests where possible. Target firms whose values align with your cause. Highlight how your charity’s activities complement the skills or interests of the person or company being asked.
Frame the request as a partnership, rather than asking for free services. For example, is there a way that your charity can provide exposure, like social media or a charity newsletter? Mention any opportunities for public acknowledgement or offer a testimonial as a form of appreciation.
There might be long term value you can offer the company. Free listing at future charity events as an official partner, or introductions to other potential clients are attractive to business owners. Companies should never assume paid work as an outcome of charity partnerships, but if the collaboration could lead to future paid work, it’s worth mentioning.
Respectful requests made with professionalism are always the most successful. Treat your request with the same professionalism as in a paid job and make it clear that you value the time and expertise provided by the company. Showing the current state of the particular service you’re asking for can show that you understand the company’s scope and have a clear vision for the partnership.
Clearly define the scope and expectations of a potential partnership. Decision makers at the proposed partner company are more likely to engage if they know exactly what you’re asking for. Open ended or vague requests can deter participation; clearly outline what is needed, the timeline and expected outcomes.
Measure the impact
While charities might be getting free work, these partnerships still require time, effort and resources on their side, so measurable impacts help justify the time invested in managing the partnership and provide evidence for future funding applications or stakeholder reports.
For companies, impact measurement strengthens their corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting and demonstrates the real-world outcomes of their work.
The simplest way to measure impact is by quantifying the value of donated time and services. For instance, if a marketing agency provides 40 hours of branding support, what would that have cost at their standard rate? Translate that into a tangible outcome: did a refreshed campaign increase online donations? Did a new website boost engagement?
It’s also important to capture qualitative impact. A charity might report that thanks to professional IT support, their systems are now more secure and efficient, giving staff more time to focus on fundraising work. Case studies and testimonials can powerfully illustrate this kind of transformation.
Tracking long term sustainability is crucial. Did the partnership leave the charity in a stronger position, with new tools, knowledge or confidence, to operate independently? Were charity staff trained to continue the work after the professionals stepped back?
By creating simple, replicable methods for tracking outcomes, such as follow-up surveys, KPIs or success stories, both sides can better understand what worked, what could improve, and how to make future partnerships even more impactful.
Producing sustainable outcomes
Partnerships between companies and charities must be built with sustainability in mind to ensure lasting impact beyond the duration of the collaboration. While corporate support can provide a significant boost to a charity’s operations, it’s essential that the charity is not left dependent on resources it cannot maintain independently.
A sustainable partnership considers how the charity can continue the work initiated or supported by the company, either by building internal capacity, transferring knowledge, or developing new funding streams. This approach helps avoid disruption of the charity’s services and ensures that the benefits of the partnership endure, rather than fade once corporate involvement ends.
For example, it’s all well and good making a brand-new website for a pro bono client, but the company must train them on how to update it with new information or troubleshoot issues if there is an end date to the partnership. Any package offered should be fully comprehensive if the partnership is going to be truly valuable for the charity, otherwise the company could just be creating a headache for the charity’s staff later down the line.
Shift in mindset
A shift in mindset is needed by charity bosses reaching out for support. As well as focusing on monetary donations, they should assess weaknesses within the charity’s day to day operations and identify areas that might benefit from additional professional services.
Pro bono partnerships between companies and charities offer a powerful way to extend expertise, strengthen operations and create lasting impact, often in ways that financial donations alone cannot.
But to truly succeed, these collaborations must be rooted in careful planning, mutual respect, and long term sustainability. By framing requests clearly, aligning values and ensuring you’re equipped to continue the work independently, these partnerships can become more than one-off acts of goodwill; they can be catalysts for growth.
